Instead of freedom from sin, people began to strive for freedom to sin. True freedom, freedom of spirit, Christian freedom came to be considered "despotism," "coercion," the oppression of the Church, while the dissipation of one's sinful will, which leads to enslavement of the spirit, was made life's ideal.

Archbishop Averky (Taushev)

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Let others mock at you, oppose you, when you are under the influence of any passion; do not be in the least offended with those who mock at or oppose you, for they do you good; crucify your self-love and acknowledge the wrong, the error of your heart.

Righteous John, Wonderworker of Kronstadt

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Nothing less than the slow, painful, merciless death of the ego is required of those who would enter into watchfulness and prayer in the right spirit. Cut off from its accustomed food, the ego retreats famished into a corner, where it cries out until at last it has no more energy, and it expires. With this, true life begins.

Hieromonk Damascene (Christensen)

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A soldier asked Abba Mius if God accepted repentance. After the old man had taught him many things he said, "Tell me, my dear, if your cloak is torn, do you throw it away?" He replied, "No, I mend it and use it again." The old man said to him, "If you are so careful about your cloak, will not God be equally careful about His creature?"

Abba Mius

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...the Lord does not seek the monk or the layperson, the scholar or the simpleton, the rich man or the pauper, but only the heart that thirsts for God, full of a sincere desire to be true to Him and His commandments!

Venerable Ephraim the Syrian

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Christian humility is not in any way a form of weakness, but just the opposite: it is strength in a person, although not human strength, but rather God's strength.

Archbishop Averky (Taushev)

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Whenever possible, we should always remember death, for this displaces all cares and vanities, allowing us to guard our intellect and giving us unceasing prayer, detachment from our body and hatred of sin. Indeed, it is a source of almost every virtue. We should therefore, if possible, use it as we use our own breathing.

St. Hesychius the Theologian of Jerusalem, disciple of St. Gregory the Theologian

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Unless a man hates all the activity of this world, he cannot worship God.

Venerable Isaiah the Solitary of Seeds and Palestine

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If you want to bring someone onto the right path, to teach and advise him, then you must humble yourself first and talk to the person with a lot of love. He will accept your advice, for he will feel that it is given with love.

Elder Thaddeus (Strabulovich) of Vitovnica

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After the resurrection our bodies will be spiritual, and not earthly ones, everything earthly will remain upon earth. Remembering what our future abode will be, Christians, let us, then, gradually detach ourselves from everything earthly.

Righteous John, Wonderworker of Kronstadt

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If the Son of God Himself was made guilty of sin, though He was sinless, then you, too, must accept blame for all sins with meekness and love (for you are really sinful of all sins), and accept blame humbly and submissively, even for those sins of which you are not guilty.

Righteous John, Wonderworker of Kronstadt

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With comforts, false honours, and niceties there is no salvation or progress.

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

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For someone who has love in him, it’s not enough to simply give to anyone who happens to ask for charity; he seeks to find people who have some need in order to support them.

Saint Paisios of Mount Athos

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In order to achieve concentration in prayer, one must humble oneself before God and man, and practice diligently. Without humility a person will always become distracted.

Abbot Nikon Vorobiev

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Have we helped by disseminating peace and harmony in the universe, or have we contributed to the existing chaos? For this reason we must always strive to perfect our thoughts.

Elder Thaddeus (Strabulovich) of Vitovnica

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